Fatal pulmonary embolism during treatment of quetiapine poisoning by intravenous infusion of lipid emulsion – a case report

Magdalena Kwiatkowska; Marcin Fudalej; Agnieszka Siwińska; Rafał Skowronek

doi:10.5114/psychs.2025.152647

ISSN: 2720-7048

Psychiatria Spersonalizowana / Personalized Psychiatry

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abstract:

Case report

Fatal pulmonary embolism during treatment of quetiapine poisoning by intravenous infusion of lipid emulsion – a case report

Magdalena Kwiatkowska

¹

,

Marcin Fudalej

¹

,

Agnieszka Siwińska

¹

,

Rafał Skowronek

^{2, 3}

Katedra i Zakład Medycyny Sądowej, Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Warszawa
Katedra i Zakład Medycyny Sądowej i Toksykologii Sądowo-Lekarskiej, Wydział Nauk Medycznych w Katowicach, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Katowice
Pracownia Histopatologii, Śląskie Centrum Chorób Serca, Zabrze

Personalized Psychiatry 2025; 4: e45-e47

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/psychs.2025.152647

Online publish date: 2025/07/08

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In the case of acute poisoning with lipophilic drugs an alternative treatment may be an infusion of a commonly used fatty substance for parenteral nutrition. The paper presents the case of a woman treated for schizophrenia, who was admitted to hospital after taking the drugs: quetiapine and aripiprazole for suicidal purposes. The treatment included, among others, an infusion of Intralipid. However, no improvement in the patient’s general condition was observed over the next minutes or hours. In the following hours, symptoms of multi-organ failure and death developed. Based on the collected data, it was determined that the direct cause of the deceased’s death was increasing multi-organ failure with the addition of massive fat embolism of the lungs. According to the authors, in each case of a deceased person treated for poisoning with lipophilic drugs, it should be analyzed whether treatment with intravenous infusion of a fat emulsion was administered.

keywords:

Fatal pulmonary embolism during treatment of quetiapine poisoning by intravenous infusion of lipid emulsion – a case report

Magdalena Kwiatkowska 1 , Marcin Fudalej 1 , Agnieszka Siwińska 1 , Rafał Skowronek 2, 3

quetiapine, acute poisoning, fat embolism, fat emulsion, Intralipid

Magdalena Kwiatkowska

¹

,

Marcin Fudalej

¹

,

Agnieszka Siwińska

¹

,

Rafał Skowronek

^{2, 3}